OK, so we hear health warnings about heels every week, but these new research findings show that high heels could be changing the way we walk, regardless of whether we're wearing heels or not. In fact, this research has entered into territory that has never before been looked into, looking deeply into the physiological impacts of wearing high heels.

It's a well known fact that many women brush aside the negative aspects of wearing heels in favour of the positives, which include increased confidence, slimmer calves and unique style. However, if, in the future, women are left walking differently, hampered by flat feet, bunions and so on, are they really worth it?

When wearing heels feet are forced into what is called a 'plantarflexed' position, with the toes pointing downwards, which could potentially be causing permanent damage to leg muscles, as well as a change in how they walk. Repeated wear of heels unconsciously changes how a woman walks and this puts more strain onto the calf muscles.

The study involved a control group of females (who didn't wear heels on a regular basis), comparing them to a group of avid heel fanatics, all of who were aged between late teenagers to early 30 year olds.

Conducted at The Griffith University, Queensland, the women were asked to walk without their shoes on down a 26-foot long runway, which had special underfloor sensors. These sensors were then able to monitor where the forces of the women's feet were placed, as well as how the muscles and joints were performing.

Published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the research revealed that celebrities such as Victoria Beckham who is never seen in anything but heels could have far shorter calf muscles than she should have.

The studies found that those women those in the high heel fanatic group (who wore 2 inch plus heels over 40 hours per week over a period of at least the 2 years before the study was carried out) had neuromechanically adapted to a different way of walking to those flat shoe women.

• Flat Shoe Wearers – took bigger strides, a sign they weren't overusing their calves, using their tendons to walk instead.

• High Heel Wearers – took shorter strides, over-using their calf muscles, which led to their walk being more aggressive in appearance.

Speaking to The New York Times, the team of researchers involved were not surprised with the results, coming to the conclusion that if women wear heels on a regular basis for just two years, their muscles are increasingly likely to suffer from strain and fatigue.

Dr Cronin, who led the research also added that care must be taken when exercising as strain can be placed on tendons that have shortened and aren't fully flexed. Equally, he recommended that a break be taken from wearing heels, with a recommended wear of just 1-2 times per week.

However, will we take note of this further health warning?